Paper Beads – How to make paper beads

1.Mark out each bead strip on paper. Be careful with the marking as the more accurate you are at this stage the more uniform each bead will be.

2.Cut out each bead strip.

3.Cover the needle with petroleum jelly.

4.Apply adhesive to one side of the paper strip.

5.With the glued side facing downwards, start rolling the strips tightly and evenly around the needle.

6.Secure the ends tightly by adding a little more adhesive.

7.Remove the bead and leave to dry.

8.Repeat with the remaining strips.

Decorating the beads – You can use magazine pages to make colourful beads. Handmade paper beads also look very nice. If you use plain paper you can decorate them with paint and varnish.

Tip – While decorating the beads thread the beads on to a needle. Leave them to dry by embedding the needles in plastercine.

Project Ideas – Necklaces, Bracelets, Earrings

Stencil

Plastic Film
Craft knife
Poster paints
Toothbrush
Brush
Plate

1.Place the design under the film. Using this as a reference cut out the stencil on the film.

2.Mix the paint with some water on a plate.

3.Dip the toothbrush into this paint.

4.Place the stencil on the paper. Hold it down tightly.

5.Now spray the paint onto the stencil. Use your fingers to agitate the bristles to form a spray of paint.

6.The stencil pattern will come on to the paper in a beautifully sprayed design.

Instead of a toothbrush you can also paint directly on to the stencil with a paint brush. Be careful to hold the stencil down tightly and not to let the brush.

Stenciling on cloth or ceramic is also similar except instead of poster paints use the all-purpose paints from Fevicryl, Camlin. Infact these all-purpose paints can be used on any surface, including paper.
Acetate sheets used for making presentations on Overhead projectors can be used as the plastic film. These are available at stationary shops.

Reverse stenciling-In stenciling you blocked out the entire paper and exposed only a portion to colour. In reverse stenciling you expose the entire background to colour and you block out the design. This you can do by cutting out the design in plastic and sketching it out onto the surface to be stenciled.